The latest research from KELA, featured in the report published by Industrial Cyber, reveals a chilling reality: between January and September 2025 there were 4,701 ransomware incidents globally, and 2,332 of them (50 %) targeted critical sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, energy, transportation and finance. Industrial Cyber
What does this mean for business leaders? If you operate in or supply one of those sectors—or your business is part of a supply chain connected to them—you are not just at risk: you are an active target.
Why your sector is being targeted
There are a few forces driving this surge:
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The manufacturing sector alone saw a 61 % increase in ransomware attacks year-over-year (from 520 to 838) in the same period.
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Attackers are increasingly treating ransomware not just as a data-theft tool but as an operational weapon: shutting down production lines, halting healthcare services, crippling energy operations.
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Critical infrastructure and industry are now entwined with national resilience. The report states that such attacks “should be understood not solely as financially motivated … but also as tactical instruments capable of disrupting victim operations while inflicting financial and reputational damage.”
This is no longer just a risk to the IT department; it is a strategic risk to your business continuity, your brand reputation and your ability to serve your market.
Why the old approach—Detect & Respond—is not enough
Many organizations today invest heavily in detection tools, response workflows and incident-playbooks. These are valuable—but they assume you’ll first detect, then respond. The reality of modern ransomware is different: attackers move fast, exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, use AI-written malware and aim to breach so deeply that detection alone may come too late.
When you are dealing with manufacturing lines, energy grids, healthcare systems or supply-chain operations, downtime is not an option. The ripple effects of a successful attack extend far beyond your four walls.
Meet a better way: Isolation & Containment with AppGuard
Here is where AppGuard comes in. AppGuard is an endpoint protection solution with a 10-year track record of success and is now commercially available for business adoption. Unlike traditional endpoint defences that rely chiefly on detecting threats and responding after the fact, AppGuard’s model focuses on isolation and containment—preventing the exploit from being able to carry out malicious actions from the outset.
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Because it isolates applications, it does not depend on signature updates, known-threat libraries or reactive detection.
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It is inherently resistant to zero-day attacks, AI-generated malware, fileless attacks and other advanced threat tactics that evade conventional defences.
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For manufacturing, healthcare, energy and other operational environments where downtime is intolerable, AppGuard offers a way to secure first rather than simply detect faster.
Real-world stakes you should consider
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Consider manufacturers whose supply lines grind to a halt because of ransomware. The 2025 survey data showed serious disruption in manufacturing operations.
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Think of healthcare providers: when IT systems are locked down, patient safety and regulatory compliance are immediately threatened.
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Energy and transportation sectors can’t afford the cascading failures that follow operational outages.
In each case, the primary objective is not just to detect the breach but to stop the attacker’s ability to move, act or destroy. Containment becomes the mission.
How to move forward
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Perform a risk-assessment of key business operations—especially where your environment overlaps manufacturing, energy, healthcare or supply-chain exposures.
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Evaluate whether your current endpoint protection strategy is based on “detect then respond” or if it gives you true isolation capabilities.
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Engage with experts like our team at CHIPS to assess how AppGuard can be integrated into your environment with minimal disruption and maximum operational safety.
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Set a policy and budget that align with the reality: ransomware is now a business continuity threat not just an IT problem.
In summary
With half of all ransomware attacks in 2025 hitting critical sectors, the time for incremental improvement has passed. Your business must adopt a new posture: isolation and containment, not just detect and respond. AppGuard gives you that capability.
If you are a business owner or IT leader in manufacturing, healthcare, energy, transportation or any critical-supply-chain context, we urge you to talk with us at CHIPS today about how AppGuard can harden your defences before the next attack hits.
The question is not if you will be targeted—it is when. Be ready.
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